“The answer was ‘Nothing.’ Nothing!”If any country should be stocked with babies, it is Denmark. In these instances, having fewer children is less a choice than the poignant consequence of a set of unsavory circumstances. But they also show that in country after country, actual fertility has fallen faster than notions of ideal family size. “Young people say, ‘Having children is the end of my life.’”There are, to be sure, many people for whom not having children is a choice, and growing societal acceptance of voluntary childlessness is undoubtedly a step forward, especially for women. For those with the right credentials, the past few decades have opened up opportunities their parents never imagined, making having children look burdensome by comparison.

Source: International New York Times November 16, 2019 19:30 UTC